Opinions of Inclusive Education: A Survey of New Mexico Teachers and Administrators.

Belcher, Rebecca Newcom

This paper examines the knowledge and acceptance level of special and general education teachers and administrators regarding inclusive education within the rural and diverse state of New Mexico. While inclusive education of disabled students has gained widespread support, little attention has been paid to program implementation within a rural and poor state such as New Mexico. The evolution of the inclusive education movement began with the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Passage of the IDEA led to the Regular Education Initiative movement, whose goal was to merge special and regular education into one system and provide instructional services to disabled children in regular classrooms. An outgrowth of the REI was the full inclusion movement, which focused on strengthening not only the academic performance of disabled students in regular classroom settings, but also socialization skills, attitudes, and positive peer relations. Thirty-nine of 60 special educators attending a 1993 New Mexico conference returned a survey following a presentation on inclusive education. While the majority of educators were supportive of inclusive education, a small percentage (7-15 percent) were consistently nonsupportive. Specifically, nonsupportive respondents desired the continuation of resource rooms and expressed uneasiness about therapists or consultants jointly teaching with them in general education classrooms. Survey results indicate areas of confusion concerning application of inclusive educational practices. However, at the time, none of the school districts represented at the conference had implemented inclusive education. Survey questions and results are included. (LP)

Note: In: Reaching to the Future: Boldly Facing Challenges in Rural Communities. Conference Proceedings of the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) (Las Vegas, Nevada, March 15-18, 1995); see RC 020 016.